Can Dogs Sense Death in Humans? Exploring the Phenomenon

The Research That Relates to the Canine Sense of Smell.

It has been calculated that the sense of smell a canine has, is ten thousand to a hundred thousand times greater than that of an average human being. This kind of sniffing ability allows them to sense even slight changes in the anatomical structure of the human body, which indicates that there may be illness or that death is fast approaching.

Moreover, the auditory organs of dogs are also very sensitive, and they can hear sounds and feel vibrations that are out of the human's radar. Such developed organs help them sense even minute changes in the normal state of humans that may include human behavior or the human physical changes that occur during the period of death.

Look Into History And Some Unscientific Stories.

Over the ages, there have been large volumes of documentation regarding dog owners who passed away, and more or less, their dogs were able to tell, that death had come and passed to their owners. This includes false facts linked with dogs waiving about unusual behavior like positioning themselves concerning their gravely ill owners so that they can sense their return.

One classic case of such cases includes a dog called, Greyfriars Bobby, who remained at the tombstone of his master for 14 years. These stories however have sharp statistical limitations in terms of values but still, they aid in developing a common perception of the capacity dogs have, which is to feel or sense the presence of death.

How Dogs Detect Changes in Human Health To Ensure the Wellbeing of Their Owners

Dogs are relatively known to detect cancer, diabetes, seizures, and other medical conditions through a chemical change in the body when one is ill. For instance, when someone is about to die, there are several changes in the body such as odor, temperature, and behavior so some changes occur in the patient's body.

Others may understand different behaviors in patients through body language. It is easy to assume that a dying person may produce different pheromones or chemical compounds. Older dogs may even observe behavioral changes in their owners or watch as owners go through the emotional processes that come when one is dying.

The Role of Dogs in Palliative Care Terriers and Pomeranians. Pets depend heavily on people for companionship.

Therapy dogs hold more value in these hospitals because they provide an emotional and physical connection to the patient who unfortunately has little or no time left in the world. These licensed therapy dogs can also help with pain relief, anxiety reduction, and the overall well-being of patients as well.

Their presence can offer emotional support not only to the patients but also to the patient’s families and even healthcare providers. Some hospice programs even have specially trained dogs who are brought to calm the patients and offer them comfort in the last moments of their lives.

Teaching Medical Alert Dogs

Like any other activities, training kay9s for medical detection purposes also requires an elaborate method. These dogs are trained to identify specific targets, such as cancer, low blood sugar in diabetic patients, or more particularly, the smell of such diseases.

The processes involved in providing this training also entail positive reinforcement whereby when the target odor is identified, the dog is encouraged to act out an alerting behavior towards the handlers. As this branch of knowledge progresses, so does the possibility of using dogs for early diagnosis and detection of diseases and even the embodiment of death itself. 

also read...

• The Dark Reality of Animal Burning A Call for Awareness